Rhode Island Clam Chowder (Clear-Broth Style)
A briny, clear-broth chowder built on fresh quahogs, crisp-rendered salt pork, sweet onion, tender potatoes and thyme. There is no cream and no tomato, so the clam flavor stays front and center.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 50 min
- Wait
- 15 min
- Total
- 1 hr 30 min
- Makes
- About 2 quarts (8 cups), 6 bowls of about 1⅓ cups each
Steps
Before you start
- Buy live quahogs the day you cook them and keep them refrigerated, uncovered or under a damp towel, never sealed in plastic or submerged in fresh water.
- Chowder-size quahogs are tough, so chop the meat small and add it back at the very end. More cooking makes it rubbery.
- Don't salt the pot until the end. The clam broth and salt pork are both salty.
- Have a fine-mesh sieve and a coffee filter or a double layer of cheesecloth ready for straining the broth.
- Cooked clams are perishable. Plan to get the chopped meat into the refrigerator within 1 hour of steaming if you are not using it right away.
Scrub the clams
- Under cold running water, scrub the 12 quahogs with a stiff brush to remove sand and mud.
- Discard any with cracked shells, and any with open shells that don't close when you tap them firmly on the counter.
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Ready when: Shells are clean, with no mud, and all are tightly closed.
Tip: Don't soak the clams in fresh water. It kills them and doesn't purge sand well.
Steam clams open
- Pour 1½ cups (360 ml) cold water into the 8-quart pot and add the clams.
- Cover and bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to medium-high.
- Steam 10 to 14 minutes, lifting the lid once or twice to remove the clams that have opened and set them in a large bowl.
- Re-cover and continue until all are open.
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Ready when: Shells gape open wide. Discard any that are still shut after 15 minutes.
Tip: Pulling clams out as they open keeps the early ones from overcooking.
Shuck, chop, strain
- Let the clams cool 5 minutes, until you can handle them.
- Pull the meat from the shells over the bowl to catch the juices, then finely chop the meat into ¼-inch (6 mm) pieces.
- If you won't add the clams to the chowder within 30 minutes, refrigerate them in a covered container right away.
- Never leave cooked clams out more than 1 hour total.
- Pour the pot liquid and bowl juices through the sieve lined with a coffee filter into the 2-quart measuring cup, leaving the gritty last spoonfuls behind.
- Add the 1 cup (240 ml) bottled clam juice.
- You should have about 4 cups (960 ml) of broth.
- If you're short, top up with water.
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Ready when: Broth looks clear and amber, with no visible grit when you tilt the cup.
Tip: Trim away the tough dark rim of the clam if you prefer a more tender chowder.
Render the salt pork
- Wipe out the steaming pot or use the 4- to 5-quart soup pot.
- Add the diced salt pork and set over medium-low heat.
- Cook, stirring every minute or two, 8 to 10 minutes, until the fat melts and the pieces are golden and crisp.
- Lift out the crisp bits with a slotted spoon onto a paper towel, leaving the fat in the pot (about 3 tablespoons).
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Ready when: Pork pieces are golden brown and crisp (well past the safe 145°F / 63°C), with clear fat in the pot.
Tip: Keep the heat low. Salt pork burns quickly and turns the fat bitter.
Soften the onion
- Add the diced onion to the pork fat.
- Cook over medium heat, stirring often, 6 to 8 minutes, until soft and translucent but not browned.
- Stir in the garlic and cook 30 seconds, until fragrant.
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Ready when: Onion is soft and translucent, with no browned edges.
Simmer the potatoes
- Add the clam broth, 2 cups (480 ml) water, potatoes, thyme sprigs and bay leaf.
- The potatoes should be fully covered.
- Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to medium-low so it simmers gently.
- Cook uncovered 12 to 15 minutes.
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Ready when: A potato cube yields easily to a knife tip but still holds its shape.
Tip: Boil gently. A hard boil breaks the potatoes down and clouds the broth.
Add the clams
- Remove the thyme sprigs and bay leaf.
- Stir in the chopped clams and the butter.
- Heat 2 to 3 minutes over low heat until the chowder is steaming hot and the butter has melted.
- Don't let the soup boil.
- Taste, then season with pepper and kosher salt as needed.
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Ready when: Broth is steaming hot (at least 165°F / 74°C on a thermometer) and tastes savory and briny.
Tip: Add salt a pinch at a time. Clam juice and salt pork vary a lot in saltiness.
Rest and serve
- Take the pot off the heat and let the chowder rest, covered, 10 minutes so the flavors meld.
- Ladle into warm bowls.
- Top with the crisp salt pork bits, parsley and more black pepper, and serve with oyster crackers if you like.
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Ready when: Chowder is hot but no longer scalding, and the broth tastes rounded.
Tip: Don't hold the chowder at room temperature longer than 2 hours total. Refrigerate leftovers promptly (see storage).
Good to know
Tips
- Quahogs vary in saltiness. Taste the strained broth first and add less bottled clam juice and more water if it's very briny.
- Fully straining the broth through a coffee filter removes the sand that makes chowder gritty.
- For a slightly thicker broth, crush a few potato cubes against the side of the pot with a spoon in step 6.
- Serve with a little hot pepper vinegar or hot sauce on the side, as is traditional in Rhode Island.
Make ahead
"Make the chowder through step 6 up to 1 day ahead. Cool the base quickly by dividing it into shallow containers and refrigerating within 2 hours. Refrigerate the chopped clams (within 1 hour of steaming) and the cooked salt pork bits separately in airtight containers. To serve, reheat the base to a gentle simmer, add the clams and butter (step 7) and heat until it reaches 165°F (74°C). Re-crisp the pork bits in a dry skillet over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Or render the pork fresh on the day you serve.")
Storage & reheating
Room temperature: no more than 2 hours total. Cool leftover chowder quickly by dividing it into shallow containers (about 2 inches / 5 cm deep) and refrigerating within 2 hours. Fridge: up to 2 days in airtight containers. Freezer: up to 2 months, though potatoes turn grainy, so freeze without them if you can. Thaw overnight in the fridge. Reheat gently on the stove over medium-low heat, without boiling, until it reaches 165°F (74°C). Re-crisp stored pork bits in a dry skillet before serving.
Substitutions
- live quahog clams (chowder size, about 5 oz / 140 g each) → 2 cups (about 450 g) chopped canned or frozen clams plus extra bottled clam juice. Skip steaming. Use about 4 cups (960 ml) total clam juice and drained clams, and add the clams at the end as written.
- salt pork → thick-cut bacon, diced. The chowder will taste smoky, but it is still good. Use 4 oz (115 g).
- Yukon Gold potatoes → red or white waxy potatoes. Use the same weight. They hold their shape well.
- fresh thyme sprigs → 1 tsp dried thyme. Add it with the broth and leave it in the soup.
